Another Sleeping Beauty Story
by DeborahSulkin
Summary: Mary gets sick and her friends are there for her.


Another Sleeping Beauty Story -

An Another Cinderella Story Fanfiction -

Written By: AutumnMalarkey.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the Grimm (Or Disney in my mind) faerie tales or 'Another Cinderella Story.' All props go to the wonderful writers and creators that made the characters for me to mess with how I liked.

The sun beamed in through the windows in Mary's bedroom signifying another beautiful day in the 90211. "Mary! Get up! You have to do your chores before you go anywhere!" Mary jumped awake hearing the crackle of the intercom and the groggy voice of her 'mother.' She hated that word. 'Mother.' Dominique would never be a mom to her. What kind of mom makes their daughter clean up and be a slave to them their whole life?

Grabbing a few clothes off the back of the chair in her pink, flowery bedroom - which Dominique had picked out for her, Mary dried her hair with the towel and threw the items on herself, not caring if they matched or not. Her complexion was pale. Not like how it usually was. She looked awful and she didn't feel any better. Her head was like it was in a tult-o-whirl and her stomach was no better. But she forced a fake grin on her face and went about her chores. Maybe it was just because she was up so early in the morning? But she didn't know. Either way, Dominique would want the jobs done and it was better doing them now before everyone else woke up.

Her skateboard slammed against the driveway as Mary heaved herself onto it; usually she'd jump onto it with her morning life, but not today, she felt weak and sick. She moved to her right making the skateboard turn down a familiar road, Tami's road. She was so hoping to find her friend still there. Ever since a few weeks ago, Mary had told her not to worry about her and wait around for her, she'd meet her at school. But today she didn't want to skateboard. It took to much energy. The energy she didn't have. Luckily, she stopped by the car in time to catch Tami before she pulled away from the kerb. "Hey! What up?" Her friend said, not looking at Mary.

"Hey." She weakly said, trying to catch her breath from the not so long and breath taking journey she'd just had to endure. "Do you mind giving me a lift?" She asked, still not wanting to keep her friend held up. But she really needed her now.

"Oh. So you want my company now?" She laughed, turning to look at Mary, "I never said I didn't want to give you a lift." Her expression changed from happy to concerned to complete worry in a quick second as she saw how sick her friend was. But she didn't bother to ask. If Mary was sick or anything was bothering her, she'd have told her friend. Tami knew that. She also knew if she asked Mary'd just moan about her not minding her own business.

Once her friend was securely in the car she drove away, pushing so hard on the gear shift that seemed about to give in any day. But she wasn't letting that happen. Mary had leaned her head in her hands as she leant her cheek on the cold window, it felt so refreshing. Letting the cold glass pane touch her hot skin. She hated the thought about how dirty it was, it was as dirty as Dominique's bedroom rolled into a small pane of glass, but she didn't care. She needed the refreshing coldness. It calmed her and her dizziness. Glancing through the side of her glasses for the 60th time in 5 minutes, Tami grew even more worried. Surrendering as her friend groaned and blinked another time to clear her dizziness. "You okay?" She slowed the car down so she could examine her friend more carefully.

"Yeah." Mary lied.

"How long have I known you for?" Tami asked, hearing her friend mumble an answer, "Yes, eight years and you think I don't know when my best friend is lying to me? You look awful."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean. Now what's wrong?"

Groaning, Mary finally gave in. She knew she wasn't well and this wasn't going to go away, "I just feel a bit sick."

"A bit? You look awful!"

Before Mary had time to come up with her normally sarcastic answer, a wave of nausea came over her, "Pull over!" She ordered.

"What?" Tami looked at her confused.

"Pull the hell over, I'm gonna be -" But before she could warn her friend she felt the vomit rise up her throat. Creeping up slowly. She tried to hold it down.

Driving as fast as she could, Tami tried to find a space by the kerb for Mary to vomit. "Just keep it in."

"I can't." The feeling rose a bit further until she could taste the horrible acid in her mouth. She took the bucket that Tami had passed to her, obviously it was stored in her 'hippie car' for some reason but Mary didn't care right now. She heaved into the bucket, hearing a groan from Tami. Then she heard the window being opened, obviously the smell had hit Tami as bad as it had hit her. "Sorry." Her voice echoed through the bucket as her head was still stuck in it in case she was sick again.

"Don't be." Tami rubbed her friends back. By this time she'd managed to find a space to park, but a bit to late. "You better now?" She asked, seeing her friend raise her head from the bucket.

"Yeah." Her friends weak voice came. She took a tissue Tami had offered her and wiped her mouth. "What would I do with out you? You're a great friend." She smiled slightly, slipping a mint into her mouth that Tami had also gave her, obviously she had vomit breath.

"I know." Tami smiled, starting to turn the car around heading in the opposite direction back home.

"Where are you going?" Mary asked, growing even more worried.

"I'm taking you home."

"No. You can't!"

"Why not?"

"You take me home and Domifreak will just make me clean even more. I'd rather be at school. Besides, I feel a lot better now." She smiled at her friend falsely again.

Tami knew she was right. It was a Wednesday, the one day Dominique is home during the school hours and even if Mary was sick, she'd make her do her work, and double it if she finished early. "Fine." She turned the car a bit more and drove towards the school.

"Thanks Tami." She really did feel a bit better, not exceedingly better, but a bit.

"But I'm keeping tabs on you." Mary knew that was true. Today Mary had all the same classes as Tami. But even if she didn't, Tami'd pull some strings and get into her class for the day.

"Fine."

By the time lunch time had came, Mary had grew back to the way she felt before and even grew worse. She forced herself not to be sick in the middle of classes; if the teachers knew she was sick, they'd send her home for sure. As soon as the lunch bell rang, Mary flew out of the classroom, bumping into Joey on the way. "Hey, Mary, slow down." He smiled. She pushed him away and raced into the girls toilets, heaving herself over a toilet in an empty cubicle.

"She's sick." Tami looked worried at him and walked into the toilets as well in time to see all the girls clearing out after hearing Mary vomiting. "Mary?" She knocked on a cubicle door, but it wasn't locked, it opened straight away. "Okay." She crouched down behind her friend, tying her hair back with a bobble and rubbing her back.

Ten long minutes passed as Mary lay heaving over the porcelain bowl yet it felt like hours. With the help of her best friend, she stood up from the toilet and wiped her mouth, throwing the tissue into the toilet and flushing it. "You okay now?" Tami put a supportive hand on her shoulder. Mary nodded, trying to look at her friend but her vision was blurry, she couldn't focus on anything. "Good. C'mon then." She left her friend and walked through the door, hoping to see her come out of the toilet's soon, but she didn't. Her mind was taken off Mary as she was met by a extremely worried Joey and Dustin.

Inside the toilets Mary felt light headed, she held onto the sink for support. God, why had Tami left her? Just when she needed her. She tried to call out for her friend to come back and help her but as she opened her mouth no sound came out. Taking deep breaths to clear her vision and her dizziness, she leant her back against the sink. Her eye lids grew heavy. Her vision grew blurred. Everything grew black. Mary collapsed onto the floor, her head creating a loud noise as it connected with the sink she was previously leaning on. Her body thudding heavily as it hit the cold tiled floor. If she was conscious at the moment she would have thought it miraculous how a cold, dirty, grimy toilet floor managed to make her feel well. The once white, turned brown tiles started to turn a magical crimson colour as blood started to trickle from a cut in her head.

"I wonder what she's still doing in there?" Tami wondered, she couldn't hear the noise of her vomiting, so it deffinatly wasn't that. She looked at her boyfriend who simply shrugged at her. She took a breath and opened the door, turning to look at Joey as he told her to make sure she was okay. Nodding, she turned her head back and screamed at the sight before her. As on instinct the two boys raced into the toilet, both gasping at the sight before them. Tami felt desperately for a pulse, tears threatening at the back of her eyes. "I can't find a pulse!" She panicked, feeling her wrist and neck more desperately.

"Tam... Tami... TAMI!" Dustin shouted, pulling her off Mary and standing her next to Joey who was on the phone to an ambulance. Dustin bent down, carefully checking for a pulse again, letting out a breath of relief as he found one. "Okay, she's alive. There's a weak heart beat. But we need them here fast, I don't know how long she has left."

As if on cue the sirens could be heard throughout the school as three paramedics came running into the toilet. "Okay. She has a head injury." Said the only female paramedic after examining Mary. "What's her name?" She turned to the three students.

"M-M-" Tami broke in tears, turning and crying into Dustin's shirt.

"Mary Santiago." Joey told them. He hated seeing Mary like this, but he knew she was going to make it. It was Mary and she was strong. Or so he thought...

The hospital was literally like a death zone. Not that it was supposed to be a joyous place, but come on, wouldn't you like something to make you happy when your friend was dying? The three, and only three 'relatives' sat in the waiting zone. Tami hadn't stopped crying. Dustin's shirt was practically drenched with tears, but Joey kept it cool. He knew she was going to be fine. At the moment he was more worried about where her real relatives where. Dominique should have been called already and should be here, and her 'pose' - well her two daughters, were never far behind.

"Mary Santiago?" A old-ish doctor stepped into the room, all three people looked at him.

"Is she going to be fine?" Tami looked up, wiping her eyes hopefully.

"Well... She had pretty bad damage to her head resulting with some memory loss. We also discovered she was diabetic. Did anyone know about this?" Tami shook her head after all three boys looked at her, "Okay then."

"Memory loss? How long for?" Joey stood up next to his friends.

"Only about a week." Joey smiled, at least she'd remember him then.

"Can we see her?" Tami asked hopefully.

"Only 4 of you and don't put her under any stress." The doctor smiled and walked off back to another patient.

The room was dark, dimly lit by a small lamp in the corner. It smelt musty, of old people and of disinfectant. Mary lay lifeless in the bed, looking tiny compared to the colossal thing. A machine bleeped signalling that there was another heart beat. "Quiet." Joey whispered, sitting on one of the chairs by her bedside. He took Mary's hand and watched her as she slept. Tami and Dustin tiptoed in as well, Tami sitting down on another chair looking at Mary, smiling. Her face was still blotchy from all the crying but she was grateful her best friend was fine.

"Damn!" They heard a hushed shout from Dustin as he stumped his toe on the bed.

"Ssshh!"

Mary's eyes fluttered open, she looked around trying to find some familiar faces. "W-Where am I?" She groggily tried to sit up.

"You're at the hospital sweetie. Don't worry, you're fine." Tami smiled and moved some hair out of her face.

"How'd I end up here? What happened?"

"You passed out." She heard a whimper as Mary gave in trying to sit up and slammed back against the pillows, obviously hurting her head as well. "Banged your head."

"You think? Why didn't you tell me that first?"

Tami laughed, there she was, the good old Mary. Sarcastic. Witty. And always able to make you smile in the stupidest situations. Hey! Maybe the hospital could use her to lighten the mood?

"How dare you!" Came the chilling voice of someone she knew too well. Dominique entered the room, half her face being lit by the small lamp. "You come into school and make a show of me! Making it seem like I was the one who couldn't care for you! Telling your worthless _friend _I couldn't take care of you!" She snarled Mary, "Next time you better think twice before doing anything! And luckily, I convinced someone to dismiss you, we have cleaning to be done." She glared at her.

Mary felt her heart race, resulting in the machines beeping faster. She started hyperventilating.

"She can't go anywhere to be your slave. She's supposed to be stress free! Which means _you _need to be out of here." Joey stood up and edged closer to her. Still holding Mary's hand.

"I don't need to be anywhere." Dominique told him. "You need to be out of here. You're causing all the stress, can't you see what you're doing to her?"

Joey looked behind himself and saw Tami trying to calm her friend down, "Deep breaths Mary, calm down. She can't take you anywhere that you don't want to go."

Mary nodded, trying her best to take a breath and calm down. Her efforts were ruined when Dominique pushed Tami out of the way, "you are coming with me Mary. That's final!" She warned really close to her face.

Struggling to take her full breaths, Mary carried on hyperventilating.

"Get out of the way, you're hurting her!" Dustin tried to move Dominique.

Growing dizzier and dizzier, Mary blinked, everything becoming blurry yet again. Her eyes shut and her machines went back to a slow beat. Mary lying practically lifeless in her bed. "Mary!" Tami screeched. The room fell silent.

Dominique tried to shake Mary awake, "Wake up you worthless piece of - " Her face was met with a punch immediately knocking her out.

"Get a doctor!" Joey ordered Dustin who was looking from his fist to Dominique's face amazed. He stopped and raced out of the room.

"Mary is in a stress induced coma. It's very unlikely she'll make it out of it." The doctor told them once again, it was an hour since all the commotion of them dragging Dominique out of the room.

Tami was crying again into Dustin's shirt, he was protectively holding her. Joey watched the doctor in disbelief. She was going to make it. She had to. He _loved_ her.

Her room was practically the same as before, the same layout, same smells, same light source just on a different floor. This floor was lifeless, there was nothing to keep anyone happy here. It was the coma ward. Everything was silent except for the heart beats of the occupants. They had sat in the room now for 2 hours, watching Mary closely, hoping for a sign that she was going to be alive, that she was going to be fine. Tami's sobs had subsided into more quiet ones as she cried in her sleep. She was rested in Dustin's arms. "Yo, JP. I'm gonna' go take Tami back home. She's exhausted, call if there's any news." Joey nodded and watched as Dustin swept Tami in his arms and left the room.

He looked back at Mary, moving the hair from her face and going back to holding her hand in his. "C'mon Mary. We need you. Please." He begged.

"She looks like sleeping beauty." A voice came, making Joey jump and snap his head at the doorway where the janitor stood. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. So, 'Sleeping Beauty' ay?" He asked, obviously he wasn't aware of the usual faerie tales.

"You know. Princess... Prince... Sleep for 100 years." Joey shook his head. "Okay then, I'll enlighten you." He emerged into the room, sitting down opposite Joey.

"Once upon a time there was a king and a queen. For so long had they wanted a child and finally their wish was granted. The queen had given birth to a beautiful daughter, they named her Aurora. So, the day came when they wanted to rejoice the Princess and they proclaimed a holiday celebrating the infant Princess.

Everyone was at the party, the gentry, the noble man and even the peasants. There were three faeries that all bestowed the princess with a gift. The first gave her beauty."

"You're princess deffinatly got that gift." He smiled and went on.

"The second faerie gave her the gift of song."

"She has that to." Joey smiled and remembered singing with Mary.

"And the final faerie gave her the gift of..."

"Dancing." Joey smiled.

"No, but if that's what you want then okay."

"Before the final faerie could place her gift on the princess, an evil faerie appeared in the room, obviously annoyed that she wasn't invited. She claimed that she wasn't going to show that she was upset and also give the princess a gift.

'On her sixteenth birthday the princess shall prick her finger on a spindle... And die!'

The whole room broke into a gasp as the evil faerie disappeared and the queen swooped up the baby.

'I still have my gift' The final faerie told the king and queen, giving them back some hope. Unfortunately, she couldn't take away the evil faeirie's curse, but she could alter it.

'If a spindle, shall your finger prick,

not in death, but just in sleep,

the fateful prophecy you'll keep.

And from this slumber you shall wake,

when true loves kiss the spell shall break.'

Despite the faeries magic, the king decided to burn all the spindles in the country, and thought a plan to keep Aurora safe.

'Take her away until her sixteenth birthday. Then we shall re-unite her.'

The faeries did as they were told and took Aurora away. For sixteen years she grew up a normal child going by the name 'Briar-Rose.'

But on the day of her sixteenth birthday, she met a prince in the woods and fell in love with him. Unfortunately, he was taken away by the evil faerie to stop all attempts to save the princess.

In the castle, Aurora was getting ready for her sixteenth birthday ball, when a green glow appeared and a spindle also came. It instructed her to touch the needle. Slowly she reached and pricked her finger on the spinal, wincing loudly and thudding to the floor.

Luckily, the prince got away and fought every obstacle the evil faerie set for him so he could get to Aurora and there he found her, in a tower in deep slumber. He slowly leaned in, placing a kiss on her soft red lips. Her eye's fluttered open.

"And?" Joey wanted more.

"And what?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing. They lived happily ever after, the end. Cliché or what?" The cleaner laughed and left the room.

Joey looked at Mary. She looked so peaceful. Asleep. She really was like that princess. Maybe if he just kissed her... Who was he kidding? A kiss? How was that going to work? He sighed, _may as well give it a go. What else have I got to try? _He leant in, placing a kiss on her soft lips before moving away. Her eye's were still shut. Like he guessed, what happens in a faerie tale, stays in a faerie tale. No one gets 'happy ever afters.' There is never a 'The end.' It goes on forever.

While all these thoughts were running through his mind, Mary's eyes opened, "Joey?" She smiled at him.

"Oh my gosh!" He embraced her in a hug. "It worked, it really worked." Mary looked at him like he was mad. "I'll go get a doctor." He got up and went in search of the janitor and a doctor.

After finding a doctor and sending him into Mary's room, he searched and searched for the janitor. But he was gone. All that was there was the lousy maintenance cupboard. He placed his hand on the door and smiled, "Thanks."

A few months later and everything was perfect. Joey had rescued Mary from the evil Dominique.

'And they lived happily ever after.'


End file.
